


French Proverbs

by arthursarse



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Around 18, But only because of mind control, Crime Fighting, F/M, First Time, Mind Control, OOC, Philosophy, Reveal, Slow Build, They are older, Will turn into sin later, first fic in this fandom, more tags to be added later, romantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:06:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6613531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arthursarse/pseuds/arthursarse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After another attack on her classroom, Ms. Bustier struggles with the concepts of utilitarianism and the philosophy that all people are inherently good.  She brings these issues to Ladybug and Chat Noir the only way she can, with Hawk Moth's power. The two heroes are forced to question their own actions, and examine the thin line between good and evil. Will their questions lead them to growing closer? Or will the confusion turn them against one another?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cherchons la femme

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in this fandom. I need to write to fill the hole in my heart while I wait for new episodes. I plan on naming each chapter after a French proverb I found on wiki and then posting the English translation and/or equivalent in the notes. I do not speak French and know nothing about literature, but I will try to continue my research on the subjects I discuss in this story. If you have any advice for me on those matters please let me know!
> 
> The first chapter is in Caline Bustier's POV, but the rest will not be. I just wanted to set the scene for everyone.

Caline Bustier had always preferred the use of chalkboards to whiteboards or even computer projectors, and she had honed a skill for making her vertical writing look effortless and decorative. Today was no different, as chalk particles floated through the streaks of sunlight coming from the open window. Caline was sure that the morning was going to be pleasant, since all of her students had managed to show up on time despite the beautiful spring weather outside. 

When Caline Bustier had transferred to work at a lycée high school at the beginning of year she was surprised to find some of her old students there. Time passes so quickly that she hadn’t stopped to realize that her old students were all grown up and would be finishing school soon. It was rewarding to see how well they had turned out, even if they still had many of their old habits. Marinette was still late to class frequently, Nino was still disruptive, and Chloé…hadn’t changed much over the years. 

Caline walked around her desk to face her students. 

“Good morning class,” she said pleasantly.

“Good morning Ms. Bustier,” they replied. 

“I am glad to see that everyone is here on time.” Marinette blushed. Caline motioned her arm toward the blackboard. 

“French literature versus American Literature,” Caline read aloud, “Which do you think is better? This is an open discussion so there are no wrong answers.”

“I think French lit is more romantic,” exclaimed Rose. 

“It does seem more poetic,”Mylène added, “but America has some pretty good storylines.” 

“Well we certainly have won more Nobel Prizes for literature than America so we must be doing something right,” Max pointed out. Celine smiled and nodded before turning to another student.

“What do you think about it, Kim?” The man in question scratched the back of his head. He didn’t read much so he hoped American books were a lot like their movies.

“They do a lot of good versus evil stories, don’t they? And there is a lot of violence too…I guess it is pretty cool.” Chloé groaned.

“And just what is with their obsession with vampires anyway? That fad died ten years ago, but they still publish all sorts of garbage with it!” 

“They just do it for the money,” agreed Sabrina. Caline interjected. 

“Although it is true that they have a lot of books about vampires, I think we’re getting off track. After all, I am sure you are all more practiced in watching their vampire movies than reading their books.” Caline looked around the room for someone to pull their discussion back together.

“What do you think about the topic, Adrien?” The blonde looked up from the notebook that he had been doodling all over. 

“The Americans have a shorter history of literature than us,” He reminded her, “and when they tried to divide themselves from the English, they probably attempted to write differently and develop their own style. They’ve had to try and play catch up to us. It makes sense that they would be so into the idea of good versus evil because that is how they view themselves and their history. However, it is unfair to say one is better than the other. They’re just different.”

“Excellent observation, Adrien, does anyone else have something to---“Caline was caught off by the sound of the alarms going off. Outside she saw a large shadow move over the school building. The teacher ran to the window to stick her head outside and her jaw dropped at the sight. Soon everyone joined her to watch a massive sword fly over their heads. Someone outside of class must have noticed the emergency before them and pulled a fire alarm.

The sword seemed to be held by a visible force that was controlled by a small man at the end of it. The man laughed before bringing his arm back. The sword followed his movements and in one swing, the roof the building next door was sliced off. People outside screamed and Caline attempted to gain her voice back. It wouldn’t be long before their building would be hit. 

“Run,” She whispered before coming to her senses, “RUN!” Marinette and Adrien were the first two out of the door, followed by Alya with her camera up in the air. Caline made sure everyone was out of her room before going. She ran from classroom to classroom, trying to make sure all of the students were safe. One would think she had grown used to these events, but some villains were more dangerous than others and this man seemed to be on a path of pure destruction.

Caline raced through the halls of her school, busting doors open frantically. She found one student in a bathroom and another two kissing in the broom closet. Soon she was the only still in the building, but the closest escape was down two more flights of stairs. On the way down the last flight of stairs her shoe slid on a step. She fell, hitting her back on the stairs and rolling the rest of the way down. Caline’s head hit the floor and the sudden pain brought tears to her eyes. Above her she watched as metal cut through brick and plaster. The roof was being removed by the culprit. The teacher shut her eyes and prepared to be crushed. Next to her desks hit the ground; glass from the windows shattered; and the air smelled of chalk and tasted like blood. It was all ending so slowly. 

She could hear someone talking – the man with the sword maybe – but the pounding in her head made it impossible to make out what he was saying. Celine felt wind on her face. The feeling confused her because she was sure that it was impossible that she had not been crushed yet.

When she was able to open her eyes everything was blurry. A woman in red stood above her, swinging something around to block the debris from hitting her, which explained the breeze. Green eyes starred down at her, and a hand reached up to wipe a stray hair from her face.  
“Ms. Bustier,” he yelled, “Are you okay? Stay with me!”

“Chat,” yelled the other, “Get her out of here! I can handle this.” Chat Noir nodded and lifted the teacher off the ground. It didn’t look she was bleeding too much, but her ankle looked like it had been twisted really badly. She groaned in pain with each subtle movement. The pieces of the scene were slowly coming together in Caline’s perception. The villain was jumping towards Ladybug and yelling out angrily at anyone who would listen.

“Give me Chloé!”

“Chloé?,” Caline repeated as Chat ran away, “All of this because of Chloé? Again?” Chat laughed at her disbelief. 

“Cherchons la femme! Do not worry, Ms. Bustier, we’ll take care of him as soon as I get you to a hospital.”

“And who will take care of Chloé,” responded the defeated teacher, “She is the one who keeps putting all of my students in trouble.”

“That’s not true, Ms. Bustier, Hawk Moth is the one who keeps endangering them.”

Despite carrying her, Chat Noir traveled fast and arrived at the hospital as soon as he was done speaking. He brought her to the nurses, reminded her not to worry, and then disappeared. Even if everything would go back to normal with Ladybug’s powers, she didn’t deserve to be in pain until they had finished their job. 

The nurses barely managed to finish checking Caline’s vitals before the fight was over. The teacher let out a sigh of relief as Ladybug’s miraculous washed over the city, curing her of all her physical pain. Caline stood and tested out her previously broken ankle. She did not know the two superheroes had such power. Still, the entire situation tore at her heart strings. If it was not for Chloé none of this would have happened. How many times did she put other people in danger just to be rude to someone? Why had not she learned by now? Ladybug and Chat Noir were excellent at helping those who were Akumalized, but seemed to never prevent it. Certainly it was impossible to stop everyone from being in a situation where they could be Akumalized, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t prevent a few. The idea bothered the teacher all of the way home and into the night. She couldn’t focus on reading before bed. Instead she stared at the pages feeling helpless. 

“They only think they’re the heroes,” a voice in her head told her, “but what have they done to stop people from being Akumalized?” Caline recognized that the voice whispering sweetly in her ear was not her own, but she seemed unable to move. For some reason, the voice made a lot of sense to her.

“Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of one or two people to save hundreds? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get through a week without watching your students panic and scream? Who is the real monster in Paris?” Anger swelled up in the teacher’s chest. She could picture the frantic faces of all of her students. For years she was forced to watch as they were tormented by this problem. It never seemed to end.

“I can make it stop,” the voice promised, “You just need to do one small thing for me.”

“Anything,” Caline pleaded, “Anything to make the screams stop.”

“Excellent.”

And then she forgot her name.


	2. C'est trop d'un ennemi et pas assez de cent amis.

Marinette secretly wished that she could make it through at least one week of school without being late. There was no guarantee that she would not miss a class, since Akumas could appear at any given time a day, but she was often late on days that didn’t require Ladybug’s rescue. The first three days of the current week had gone fairly well, even with the attack on the city on Wednesday morning, but then Thursday rolled it’s ugly head. Marinette woke up fifteen minutes late with hair that refused to cooperate without a shower. She couldn’t find where she left her shoes, and then after she left the house she had to run back inside to grab the homework she left on her desk. By the time she managed to leave for school, Marinette was sprinting to make it to class on time. What made it worse was that the high school felt so much farther away from her home than the middle school did. 

She imagined that the previous day had worn her out and caused her to sleep in late. It had been difficult to attack her opponent while protecting everyone from the falling debris, especially when Chat was distracted with moving people to a safe location. 

News reports were still pouring in from the incident that morning. The voices of reporters could be heard from the radios of cars with open windows and television sets in the homes of civilians. They conveniently left out Chloé’s role from the events. Marinette was beginning to wonder if they really did not know what made people targets for Akumas or if Chloé’s father was paying them off to save face. 

“You’re not going to make it,” Tikki remarked as she peaked through the opening of Marinette’s purse.

“I can! I just need to make it there in…,” Marinette’s desperate voice trailed off as she looked at her watch, “…46 seconds…”

Class started just as she arrived at the front entrance. Or it should have started, that is. Marinette entered the classroom mentally preparing an excuse, only to discover that the teacher had not come in yet. She looked around the room and noticed several empty seats in front of her before comparing her watch to the classroom clock. Strangely enough, they showed the same time. Of course Adrian had arrived early, and to her delight he offered her a small wave as she moved to her seat behind him.

“You are incredibly lucky,” Alya said, “If you keep coming in late they’re gonna require a letter from your parents.”

“At least I’m not the only one today,” she responded, “Where is Alex? And Sabrina and Chloé? Even Ms. Bustier is missing.” Alya shrugged her shoulders while shaking her head. As if on cue, Chloé appeared in the door frame with a large smile plastered across her face. Her hair had been removed from its signature ponytail and now against her shoulders before curving up at the ends. She practically floated into the room. 

“Oh? I hope I didn’t worry you, Marinette! I got up early to go buy and deliver toys to the children’s hospital and I just lost track of time.” The lack of sarcasm or disgust in Chloé’s voice was so bizarre that Alya stood up from her desk to protest.

“You’re lying,”Alya insisted, “You have never done anything nice for anybody. Where were you really?” Chloé pressed the back of her hand to her forehead, as if she was about to faint. 

“You’ve caught me! I was at the children’s hospital, but I finished long before I needed to be here so…Sabrina and I went by Boulangerie Patisserie to pick up snacks!” Sabrina, who had clearly been hiding in the hallway, entered the room with her arms full of pink boxes. Chloé’s driver followed after, carrying more food and a few plates. 

“Oh Sabrina, honey, let me help with those.” Sabrina was in an equally good mood, thanking the blonde for the assistance before the two got to work passing out cookies and croissants and fruit tarts to everyone in the class. Everyone stared at them, feeling the initial confusion being replaced with rampant suspicion. 

“What exactly do you want from us this time,” Nino asked when the girls came around to give him his proportion. 

“Nothing at all,” Sabrina sang.

“Exams are right around the corner,” Chloé added, “You deserve a treat!” Enough was enough for Marinette, something was wrong. If Chloé wasn’t trying to convince her classmates into giving her something she wanted, then she never tried to be kind to anyone. Even her best friend Sabrina faced daily abuse. Maybe she was planning on poisoning them. Maybe the media had finally found out about her history with Akumas and she was trying to fix her image. Even Adrian was looking at the plate in front of him with some hesitation. 

“Who is this and why did they replace Chloé with her,” Alya asked, nudging Marinette with her elbow. 

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” answered Nino before shoving a piece of croissant in his mouth, “Marinette’s parents make the most amazing food.” Marinette frowned at his initial reaction. Even if this Chloé seemed nice, when strange things happened it usually meant Hawk Moth was behind it.

“There is only one way to settle this,” Marinette whispered to her friends before taking a stand. She slid away from her desk into the center isle of the classroom.

“Chloé? What do you think of my outfit?” All eyes were on her as she spun around to reveal all of the little details. Then she ran the back of her hand down the length of the outfit. Her usual ensemble had been traded out for a pink blazer that complimented her light gray slacks. 

“I made it by hand myself,” she added with a smile, “An original design I created a few weeks ago. What do you think?” Chloé’s smile dropped at the sight in exchange for a more shocked appearance. Marinette was sure that there were a million humiliating insults passing through her brain and yet no such comments ever came. Chloé’s face contorted as she struggled to respond. Meaningless mumbles escaped through her lips, but her jaw refused to open to let them out. While her eyes still revealed her inner struggle, the smile returned to her face. 

“It’s lovely, you are always so talented. Maybe,” Chloé paused in a futile attempt to keep her mouth shut, “Maybe…someday…I’ll be lucky enough to wear one of your designs.” Rose gasped out loud the response, covering her mouth with both her hands as if she had just witnessed a horrific crime. Panic crept up Marionette’s spine. She turned around on her heel to grab her bag, but froze when she noticed Adrien already slipping out of the door. She shook her head free from the distraction. 

“Where are you going,” questioned Alya.

“Oh, you know, the uh…the English are coming!”*

“Seriously?!”

“Yes, please let Ms. Bustier know,” she explained while throwing her bag over her shoulder and heading for the door. Once she was safely outside of the classroom she snapped open her purse. 

“Tikki, something is wrong.” 

“I heard! But do you really think an Akuma could do this? All they did was make Chloé nice. That doesn’t sound like Hawk Moth’s work.” The bathroom door slammed shut behind them, but Marinette carried them into the large stall for extra measure.

“No it's not, but it looked like she was being controlled – and that definitely sounds like an Akuma. Either way, I’ve got figure out what is going on. Tikki! Transform me!” 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Usually whenever someone was attacking Paris a trail of screams could be followed straight to the problem. Yet the streets were calm and filled with smiling faces that morning. Outside two men who had apparently gotten in a car accident were hugging and laughing with one another in the middle of the street. A server who had accidently dropped a dish on the customer was being comforted and complemented by the guest. A security guard was gleefully feeding the pigeons with the birdman. It was like everyone was putting their differences aside, which was both wonderful and extremely confusing. With nowhere else to turn, Ladybug spotted her partner hurtling over buildings and she decided to join him. 

“My lady,” Chat called, “What brings you out this morning?” He brought the end of his staff down on the roof of the next building. He changed his grip so that he could whip his body around it before ascending onto the flat surface. Over the years Chat Noir had gotten better at landing on his feet to match his inherent flexibility. The awkward teenage years were almost behind them, leaving them more chiseled and calm under pressure. Both of them still felt the unbridled confidence that allowed them to take risks. Despite their age, the fear of their emerging adulthood had not set it. The wire of a yoyo wrapped around the staff above his hand and soon Ladybug was hoisted up to join him.

“It is difficult to explain,” she admitted. Chat leaned in closer to her face and Ladybug began to wonder when he had gotten so much taller than her. 

“Is something in the air? You don’t need an excuse to spend time with me,” he purred. 

“Ha! I am afraid I’ve had more than enough sweetness for one day,” she shot back. Chat Noir raised an eyebrow at her.

“Don’t tell me my lady has found a boyfriend to be sweet on her.” Ladybug laughed at the very idea before she shoved his shoulder back to put more space between them. 

“Ha! I’m glad to see you haven’t been hit by…,” she motioned toward the city streets, “whatever is going on here.”

“I would never be anything but nice to you,” he contested, “And I hope you have a plan for finding our little Akuma. Everything is much too calm out here to track anyone down.” Ladybug pressed the side of her index finger and the end of her thumb to her lips. Chat watched her blue eyes scan from one side toward the other. Her eyelashes were long enough to brush the top of her cheeks. Typically they had to be quick on their feet so he rarely got to appreciate her presence up close. Chat Noir didn’t realize that he was biting his bottom lip until his partner looked up from her train of thought with a smile growing across her face. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Chat Noir’s laughed, “Collège Françoise Dupont?” The two heroes had landed on top of a building across the street from the old middle school. Chat preferred to crouch on the edge, whereas Ladybug decided to stand behind him. 

“Whoever is doing this has already gotten Chloé Bourgeois so this would be the next best place. Middle schoolers can be…”

“Cruel?”

“Yeah,” She echoed, “Cruel.”

“Well if we don’t find them here, we can always try the Agreste estate,” Chat proposed. 

Ladybug didn’t notice anything strange right away. Directly below them was a woman in a large brimmed hat sitting down to read a book over a cup of coffee. A skinny young man rode a bike past them. By that point in the morning the kids should have been in class so the area was relatively quiet. Chat Noir sighed and stood up from his spot. He didn’t like waiting around for a villain to strike, especially when there was no evidence that the person would even arrive there. 

“Are we even sure this is an Akuma,” he asked, “And even if this is an Akuma…what is so bad about it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean, what is so wrong about people becoming nicer? Think of all the good that could happen in the world if we just let it happen. If this can change Chloé Bourgeois think of what it can do for everyone else.” A hand on his shoulder stopped his train of thought. He turned around and found himself looking back at his concerned partner. 

“If this is an Akuma then it is still wrong. Whoever is doing this is controlling people, Chat. They’re doing the same thing Hawk Moth has been doing for years now, only they seem to be trying to make people nicer – but it’s not real. Real people are not nice all of the time. And as far as the rest of the world goes…Hawk Moth is not going to let it go that far. He’ll take away those powers before any real good can happen.” Chat Noir nodded while she spoke, but he found himself wondering how much good could be done within a few hours. Ladybug noticed the way his eyes wandered away from hers, revealing how his thoughts moved away from her comfort. She raised her hand up higher until she was able to cup his cheek. This caught his full attention.

“C'est trop d'un ennemi et pas assez de cent amis,” she whispered. 

The sound of two kids laughing caught their attention. They turned to see two boys running around the corner of the school. Unable to see them, Ladybug and Chat Noir decided to silently follow behind them by landing on another roof.

Behind the school two boys had pressed another against the wall. Low volume comments slowly grew louder until it was clear they were bullying him. He tried to scoot to one side in order to get away from them, only to have one of the guys gripping his shirt and pulling him forward until he fell and landed in the dirt. The two boys stood over him, both looking excited to beat the kid up. Too furious to extend her patience any further, Ladybug rose up and jumped off the roof to confront them. 

“What do you two think you’re doing,” she yelled out.

As she landed on the ground the kids looked up at her in awe. There had always been press conferences and television events, but none of these kids ever thought they would get to meet the superhero in person. They were so distracted by the sight of her that they never saw the small black pieces of paper flying towards them. To her shock, Ladybug watched as both bullies were hit in the back causing them to arch in pain. An envelope of purple mist rolled over their bodies before dissipating.

“Well, well, well, Ladybug decided to show up too late once again.” The heroine in question turned her body towards the voice and found herself faced with the woman in the large brimmed hat. She wore a mask over her eyes in the shape of a butterfly like so many Akumized victims before her. Her outfit consisted of a tight tulip pencil dress accompanied with a pair of matching heels. The book she had been reading previously was pressed up against her chest. The bullies, who had seemly recovered from the hit, were helping the third boy up and brushing off his clothes. They were spitting out apologizes left and right. 

“I am Miss Corriger! And I am here to amend the attitudes of those are full of hate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'est trop d'un ennemi et pas assez de cent amis.  
> "English equivalent: Do not think one enemy is insignificant, or that a thousand friends are too many."
> 
> *The English are coming.  
> This is a fun and old fashioned way of telling someone your period has started.
> 
> I am really shocked about how well the first chapter was received, I want to thank everyone for that and I hope I won't let any of you down. I wanted to make Miss Corriger both unique in her character, but share similarities to other villains we've already seen in order to make her slightly more believable.
> 
> After this we will have the fight and most of the philosophy will be brought up in that chapter. I'll try not to let you guys wait too long, especially since it has been a slow buildup.

**Author's Note:**

> "Cherchons la femme"  
> Let us look for the woman.  
> English equivalent: A woman is probably at the heart of the quarrel.
> 
> I promise much more Ladybug/Chat Noir in the next chapters.


End file.
